Virgie Tovar

Virgie Tovar, (born May 19, 1982) is an American author, lecturer and weight-based discrimination speaker. She writes about fat acceptance, and anti-fat bias, and was the host of The Virgie Show (produced by CBS Radio) and the Webby-nominated podcast, Rebel Eaters Club (produced by Transmitter Media). Tovar has received Yale's Poynter Fellowship in Journalism.

Early life and education
Tovar has struggled with weight issues since childhood. In middle school she struggled with an eating disorder.

Tovar completed her bachelor's degree in political science at UC Berkeley and master's degree on "How Fat Women of Color Queer the Feminine" in Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University.

Activism
In 2013 Tovar criticized the American Medical Association for classifying obesity as a disease.

Tovar began the #LoseHateNotWeight campaign to highlight the impacts of diet culture and educate people about the importance of ending weight-based discrimination.

Tovar has advocated for legal protection against weight discrimination.

Writing
Tovar is an ongoing contributor for Forbes. In 2012 Seal Press released her anthology Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love, and Fashion, in 2018 The Feminist Press released her book You Have the Right to Remain Fat, in 2021 New Harbinger Publications released her book The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color and in 2022 Chronicle Books released her book The Body Positive Journal.

Podcasts
Tovar was the host of the Webby-nominated podcast, Rebel Eaters Club, produced by Transmitter Media for three seasons.

Personal life
Tovar is of Mexican descent.

Criticism
Virgie Tovar has been accused of downplaying the negative effects of obesity.